Chatsworth House , Derbyshire

One of England's treasure houses and home of the Cavendish family for 450 years, Chatsworth is the seat of the Dukes of Devonshire.. Originally a tudor manor which held the captive Mary Queen of Scots, the house we see today dates mostly from the late 17 C, when the 4th Earl, later the 1st Duke of Devonshire built the magnificent Palladian mansion overlooking the River Derwent. Inside the house itself, a maze of balconies and grand staircases lead, eventually, to the state apartments, their ceilings daubed with overblown cherubic figures. None of the rooms is finer than the Dining Room in the north wing, its table set as it was for the visit of George V and Queen Mary in 1933, and its wall hung with seven Van Dycks. Vases of the semi-precious Blue John stone flank the door through to the sculpture gallery where visitors can admire the Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Sir Joshua Reynolds.

The extensive gardens were originally laid out by Capability Brown but altered later by Sir Joseph Paxton who also built the Emperor Fountain. This jet of water, 290' into the air, is the highest gravity - fed fountain in the world. Paxton built a Great Conservatory at Chatsworth, which has since been demolished, but it served as a model for his Crystal Palace at the Great Exhibition of 1851. As well as work on the formal gardens, he was responsible for modelling the new village of Edensor, moved to its existing site between 1838 and 1840, with its houses each an individual design.   Visitors will also enjoy the children's adventure playground, farmyard, garden centre and farm shop where produce from the Chatsworth estate is sold.

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